-
Attack on Manchuria
- In order to obtain more natural resources the Japanese military, against the Japanese Parlaiment's decision, invaded Manchuria, a resource rich region in northern China, and set up a puppet government. This was in direct violation of the League of Nations, who protested the invasion and condemned Japan. The Japanese ignored the protests and withdrew from the League.
-
Nuremberg Laws
- The Nuremburg laws halted Jews from becoming a German citizen, getting a job, or owning property in Germany. To make it more convenient for Nazi law enforcement to identify them Jews were required to wear a yellow star on their clothing.
-
Alliance with Italy and Germany
- After the League of Nations displayed they could not enforce their rulings, Hitler began to gather power and the League could do nothing to stop it. Mussolini saw this and decided to form an alliance with Germany. The two dictators soon reached an agreement which became known as the Rome-Berlin Axis.
-
Kristallnacht
- After a Jewish youth killed a German embassy employee, the Nazis began targeting Jews and their way of life. The Nazis killed around 100 and destroyed their homes, businesses, and temples. This event marked the beginning of the Nazi persecution of the Jewish race.
-
Invasion of Poland
- Due to the signing of the nonaggression pact, Germany no longer had to worry about an attack coming from the east. This assurance allowed them to invade Poland without fear of having to fight a war on two fronts. During the invasion, the Germans used their new military strategy, blitzkrieg, which relied on using airplanes and tanks to crush any resistance and then massive amounts of infantry to seize the city, forcing the enemy to surrender. The seizure of Poland marked the beginning of WWII.
-
Soviet Union invaded East Poland
- According to a secret agreement made in the nonaggression pact Stalin and the Soviet Union would recieve eastern Poland after the Germans had control of the country. Following the invasion of Poland, Stalin sent troops to occupy the area that was designated to him. He also sent Soviet troops to invade nations that were formerly under Russian control, these included Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.
-
France surrenders
- After their defeat at Dunkirk, the French were doomed to fall; the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini saw an opportunity to share in Hitler's victories and sent Italian troops to invade southern France. Soon Paris fell to the Germans and the French were forced to surrender. In response, Hitler set up a puppet government in southern France and took control of the northern part of the country.
-
Battle of Britain
- After invading France, Hitler set his sights on Great Britain. To do this he ordered his bombers to destroy British airfields and to completely wipe out the Royal Air Force. It soon became clear to the Germans that Britain would not easily surrender. In response, German bombers began to target heavily populated cities. During this time, the British discovered radar, giving them the upperhand in air to air combat. After months of continous bombing, Hitler final ordered an end to the raids.
-
Lend Lease Act
- To aid in the Allies' war effort President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the Lend Lease Act. This law stated that the Allies could buy American arms if they paid cash and carried the weapons on their own ships. Soon to Hitler's dismay, the U.S. Navy began escorting British ships across the Atlantic Ocean.
-
German invasion of the Soviet Union
- After taking France and some other nations in Europe, Germany decided to invade the Soviet Union. To counter this invasion, the Soviets used the scorched earth tactic of burning everything so the enemy has nothing to capture. This slowed the Germans blitzkrieg strategy; the Russians also put up a strong resistance against the Nazis at Leningrad and Moscow. These factors and the Siberian winter cost the Germanns millions of soldiers, but still Hitler insisted that there would be no retreat.
-
Atlantic Charter
- Although the U.S. had not entered WW2; Roosevelt and Churchill secretly met off the coast of Newfoundland on a battleship and forged an agreement called the Atlantic Charter. This declaration promised that the two nations would continue free trade among countries and the right of the people to choose what government rules them.
-
Pearl Harbor
- On the morning of December 7, Japanese bombers destroyed U.S. ships and aircrafts. This attack killed and wounded thousands of Americans and shocked the rest of the country. In response, to this the U.S. Congress declared war on Japan and in his speech describing the event President Rooselt said that it is "a date which will live in infamy".
-
Japanese internment in U.S.
- After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were assulted with racial discrimination and were seen as an enemy. President Roosevelt set up Japanese internment camps, where people of Japanese descent were brought and housed until the war with Japan ended.
-
Battle of Midway
- In an effort to finish off the U.S. Pacific fleet the Japanese assembled the one of the largest naval fleets ever built and set off to attack the U.S airfield on Midway Island. While the Japanese bombers were attacking the island, U.S. bombers attacked Japanese aircraft carriers and battleships, forcing the Japanese to retreat. This turned the tide of the war in the Pacific in favor of the U.S.
-
Allied invasion of Italy
- As the war raged on Roosevelt and Churchill decided to take Italy before liberating France. They began by sending troops to invade Sicily, where they toppled Mussolini's power. Italy surrendered shortly after, but the Germans seized northern Italy and reinstated Mussolini. Fighting continued until Germany finally withdrew from northern Italy, during this retreat Mussolini was captured and hung.
-
D-Day
- Early on the morning of June 6, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, where they were met by heavy fire from German defenses. Despite heavy casualties, the Allies captured the beaches and cut a hole through the German defenses on their path to liberating France.
-
German surrender
- As the war came to a close, Allied troops surrounded Berlin and pounded it with artillery. As the city was being destoryed Hitler and his wife commited suicide in their underground bunker. A few days later the German military surrendered, ending the war in Europe.
-
Bombing of Hiroshima
- After testing an atomic bomb in the New Mexican desert, the U.S. threatened to drop them on Japanese cities if they did not surrender. When they recieved no response, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima causing the death of almost 73,000 people.
-
Bombing of Nagasaki
- The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki killed 37,500 people instantly and many more died from radiation poisoning. This caused the Japanese to surrender to the American Navy and bring an end to the war in the Pacific.
-
Japanese surrender
- After having two of their major cities destroyed by atomic bombs, the Japanese decided to submit to the U.S. military. The formal surrender took place on the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This finally ended World War II.
